Paralyzed
by StarsetSwampert
Summary: After Team Rocket uses the legendary bird Zapdos to cause havoc, Ash suffers an major injury. How will he fight through this and will he be able to do it alone? Amourshipping. Rated T just in case.
1. Bad News With Good Meaning

**Hey guys! StarsetSwampert here! his is my first story of hopefully many to come on this website. this fic will be slightly sad and tragic but I want to try and put a spin on it and make it enjoyable. Also I intended on making this a oneshot but after writing it I feel slightly compelled to continue this story. let me know if you would want to see this continued and what you would like to see if I am to continue. Thats all for now. Enjoy.**

Ash's POV:

Slowly my eyes flutter open. I feel a sharp pain going throughout my back. I Grumble and roll over sharply. In doing so I realize 2 things.

1) I'm in the hospital and

2) My legs didn't move

I frantically kick my legs. Err, tried to kick my legs. 'What's happening?!' I think worriedly. I try to move one more time but just gave up and took a deep breath. I slowly begin to piece it together. I slowly begin to remember what happened last time I was awake.

 _~Flashback~_

 _"Serena!" I yell in a worried tone of voice. I run after the machine that had her in it's grasp. It was to fast and I ended up tripping over a rock running. Its hopeless._

 _It was yet another day plagued by the existence of Team Rocket. They had found the legendary Pokemon Zapdos and had it under mind control. They had taken Serena, Bonnie and Dedenne and trapped them in a metal chamber. My Greninja had fainted and I was starting to grow very worrisome._

 _"HELP!" I heard Bonnie yell. I shook my head and gathered myself. Although it pained me to see my friends captured I couldn't give up now. I've never given up and I sure as hell won't give up now! Besides I still had Clemont with me and that was all I needed._

 _"Clemont!" I yell out to the yellow haired boy. He turns to face me with a slight tint of fear coming over him. I could tell he was trying his best to be tough but I don't blame him for breaking out with the amount of stress he must be undergoing. "Zapdos is too powerful to take down alone! We have to work together!"_

 _"O-okay Ash!" He bellows. He took a quick glance at Bonnie and looked back at the legendary beast in front of him, anger in his eyes._

 _"Luxray! Thunderbolt now!" Clemont yells._

 _"Pikachu Thunderbolt go!" I command my partner. The two attacks combined and grew very powerful._

 _"DOOOOS!" The mighty bird screeched as it let out a thunderbolt of its own. The attacks soon collided and everything went white._

 _~Flashback End~_

I just feel a hint of fear enter myself as the thought of my physical state haunts over me. And my friends, are they okay? How did I get here anyway? These thoughts consume me until a knocking sound brings me back to reality. The door then quickly opened and a tall male with short brown hair walked into the room. He had a clipboard in his hand. He looked down at it and looked back up at me.

"Hello Ash. My name is Doctor Matthew Bailey but you can just call me Doctor Bailey." The man said kindly while holding out his hand. I shook his hand and tried to sit up but he stopped me.

"Hey, lay back its okay. I'm just here to check up on you and inform you on your current physical state."

His words calmed me for a moment but then suddenly I grew anxious. I knew what he was about to tell me would change my life. His mouth opened but before anything happened a nurse had come to the doorway and knocked on the door. We turned to look at her.

"Mr. Ketchum, you have guests." The woman said.

"Let them in." I say gracefully. Maybe having someone with me will help me be less anxious. Honestly anything that can calm me down or make me feel better sounds amazing.

Then I see Serena Bonnie and Clemont walk into the room. My face instantly lit up with relief as Serena ran up to me and embraced me in a caring hug. "Your okay..." I murmur softly as her honey blonde hair rubs against my face.

I hear her let out a small sniffle as she leans back from the embrace. I can see that she is relieved. Almost gracious too. This makes me wonder how long I was unconscious. "You... Your our hero Ash..." Serena says sincerely. I see a tear form in her eye but she quickly wiped it away. I look to see Clemont who had a relieved and proud look on his ace as he looked at me.

"You really are our hero Ash!" Bonnie said happily. I smiled at Bonnie's contagious happiness. Serena seems to lighten up too. "You saved us all from Zapdos! The attack knocked it out!"

"It wasn't only me you know." I say nodding in Clemont's direction.

"Ahem." We all look to Doctor Bailey and hush down. "Sorry Doctor Bailey."

"Its okay. So after checking on your health scans it appears you have a few minor bruises but other than that nothing is broken."

I let out a small smile but slowly get back to being anxious for some reason.

"I'm sorry to inform you that there was one fatal injury though... It appears the impact of the explosion has left your legs inactive, or in other words paralyzed. " The words hit me like a giga impact. I won;t ever be able to walk, or run or even STAND! I quickly calm myself down and look up.

"T-thank you doctor" I manage to get out. Doctor Bailey then left and the room was engulfed in silence.

"I-I'm so sorry Ash."Clemont said comfortingly.

"Don't be. I'm glad this happened." I say calmly.

Serena's POV:

In my life I have heard many crazy things ,and especially from Ash, but that one statement instantly took the cake.

"How could you say that Ash?" I say worried about Ash's obscure statement.

"Because it was for the greater good. Don't get me wrong, I would love to be able to get up and walk out of here in a heartbeat but life isn't perfect like that. I would rather have all the bones in my body break than risk any of you guys suffering." He said simply and surprisingly calmly.

After hearing my best friend, my crush... my idol say such selfless words was all I could take. I slowly began to break down in tears as Ash used the railings along the bed to sit himself up. I embraced him once again as he held me tight. "Its okay Serena, I'll be fine." He says as he softly strokes my hair. I just couldn't take it, he is not going to be able to walk again and he can accept his fate so calmly. He's just so admirable and it kills me to see someone so pure of heart suffer. Its not fair!

I can hear Bonnie sniffling and Clemont helping her stay calm.

"Ash..." I whisper. "How will you move around." I ask innocently.

"I guess I'll need a wheelchair. or something like that." He responds quietly.

"Ash. You know I'll always be with you, no matter what right?"

"Of course. Thats what friends are for." He said softly. Although I was done crying I just held him tighter. I felt safe in his arms. I closed my eyes and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

He blushed slightly and smiled towards me. 'Maybe a bit more than friends.' I think to myself.

He really is something alright.

 **Wow... I'm proud of myself. That is the best bit of writing I've ever done. Hope you guys enjoyed it as well. Have a great day and remember to review!**

 **Edit - Thanks** **RixSkywalker1405 for pointing out some mistakes as well as giving me some advice for later on (Check his fanfics out!). Please remember to tell me if you liked one of my stories or if you found a mistake. It shows you care about me as well as the quality of the writing that others will see. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Stay With Me

**Hey Guys! StarsetSwampert here and let the second chapter begin! Also before we start I just thought I would let you know that there will always be a little bit of struggle in this series but the main theme of the story now is going to shift from pain and comfort into acceptance and overcoming adversity. Plus things will start getting a bit happier (Or at least less sad or serious). Thats all for now. Enjoy!**

Ash's POV:

'She kissed me'

The thought just echoes throughout my head on repeat. Its been a full day already but it still plays in my head over and over. The pieces all fit together. The blushing, the constant teasing by Miette, coming all that way to return a handkerchief. She has liked me all along and I've just ignored it. I guess now Its time I return the favor. I can stop thinking about training now anyway because I probably won't.. become a pokemon master...

It hit me. The one thing that has kept me going my whole journey only hits me now.

"It's was for the greater good." I say quietly. It hurts to think of it but I know I will find a new dream. But what could I be? 'Man, things are getting way to complex for me handle right now. Especially on an empty stomach.'

As if on cue, my stomach grumbles. I stretch my arms in the air and glance at the clock on the wall. 10:57 AM. Visitors are aloud to come at 11:00 so maybe someone will come see me. I look to the side of the hospital bed and see a phone on it for the patients. 'Thats pretty neat.' I think to myself. I pick it up and dial Serena's number.

Ring... Ring... Ring...

"Hello?" I hear Serena say from the other side.

"Hey Serena, It's Ash. Just wondering if you were doing anything today." I say curiously

"Oh hey Ash. I don't really have any plans today. I'm guessing you want some company?" Serena says understandingly.

"If you don't mind."

"Not at all. I'll start heading your way now."

"Oh... could you do me a favor too?" I ask.

"Sure. What do you need?"

"Do you mind picking up some food on your way here? I can pay you when you get here. This hospital's food is worse than a school cafeteria." I say, remembering the hospital's pizza I had last night.

"No problem. Be there in a few!"

"Okay, thanks Serena." I say. I hang up the phone and sigh. 'Maybe Serena can help me sort all this out' I think. I start trailing off in thought, thinking deeply about how I would move on in the future. I start thinking about how my mother will feel when I tell her my legs are paralyzed. What will I do when I finish my journey. Will I even finish my journey?

Thoughts like this pretty much consumed me for the next 15 minutes until I heard the door open. I turn to see Serena at the door with a cheerful face on. I smiled and just admired her. Seeing her happy was all I needed to push aside these thoughts. At least for now.

"Hey Ash. How you holding up?" She asks.

"Better. Kind of... There's a lot that I still haven't even began to realize and I don't know what to do." I say honestly. Although I consider that kind of personal I don't mind sharing it with Serena. I trust her. She always hears me out and she just gets me.

"Its okay Ash, you'll always have Clemont, Bonnie and I. We'll get through this together... Oh, here you go." She says while handing me a bag. Inside there was Chinese food. I could feel my mouth water as I looked at the food in front of me.

"Thanks Serena!" I say as I reached to grab my wallet.

"Don't worry about it Ash. You don't have to pay me." She says graciously.

"You sure? I don't mind."

"I'm sure. Its the least I could do."

"If you say so." I say, unsure of how to feel. I want to pay her back but something tells me I would have to sit here and convince her for an hour before she would take it. I just shrug it off and start eating. As I eat we talked about things like her next pokemon showcase, Clemont and Bonnie, the quality of the hospital, basically anything we could think of to pass the time. I started to think for a moment before I asked a serious question.

"H-Hey Serena?" I say quietly. She sees the look on my face and puts on a serious face of her own.

"Yes Ash?" She replies calmly. I take a deep breath before continuing.

"I've been thinking. Getting around and all, its gonna get really complicated and I... I think I need someone to stay by my side a lot."

"Of course. We all are going to stay by your side. You know Clemont, Bonnie and I can help you." She replies.

"I know you all will, but I mean after we're done journeying through Kalos. I'm just worried that I'll be alone. That I'll get myself hurt trying to do something I can't. I just..." I take another deep breath and stare at Serena. She has a caring face that just says 'go on. You don't have to be scared.'

'She's the one' I think before I say the next part.

"Will you stay with me after we finish travelling in Kalos. I value your company and I couldn't imagine not being with you anymore. You just make me feel safe and calm. You really help me be, well, me." We continue to exchange eye contact. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm in love with you Serena. Please stay with me no matter where we go" I say as sincerely as possible. Her face lit up as she heard the last part. She just sat there speechless.

I wasn't sure what she would say until I saw her spring up and hug me, pecking me on the cheek as she embraced me. "Of c-course Ash. I would l-love to." She says softly, still quite surprised. "I've always liked you Ash. I dreamed about being with you forever and now my dream is coming true!" She says happily as she tightens her grip. We stay there for a minute until we hear a knock at the door.

"Mr. Ketchum, you have a few guests. 'Must be Clemont and Bonnie' I think to myself. but What I saw next went beyond my expectations.

 **Thats It for this chapter! I know I suck for putting in a cliff hanger but I felt if I didn't add that at the end of the chapter you guys wouldn't be as interested to read the next chapter. The next chapter is going to be pretty long though but I don't plan on getting any sleep tonight so expect it to come tomorrow or the day after. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Update

Hey guys, StarsetSwampert here! Sorry for taking so long with the next chapter. I have a good amount of this story planned out already but there are still some plot holes I have to make my way around. Sadly I am also experiencing writers block so even if I sit down and write for an hour, I will end up deleting everything I worked on because I just don't like it. I don't want this chapter to just be me complaining about my problems so I figured I would make this a little info chapter.

First off, I am planning a new story that will be pretty long and really cool. Personally though I think it would be more beneficial for me to find my groove with this story before I work on something else though so be patient with that. I will still try and sprinkle a one-shot or two here and there while you wait.

Second off, I figured since this story has a lot of questions surrounding it, I would make a Q and A every once in a while. Just post a question in your review and as long as the answer won't give away major spoilers or plot details I will answer it. There already seems to be one question/request that is showing up so far.

 _ **"Its sad that Ash's legs are paralyzed. But I do have a suggestion. Maybe Clemont can invent something to help Ash walk and run again."**_

 _ **Skitty4**_

 _ **"If you do want to continue I'd love to see Serena try to help ash try to walk again or at least go with him wherever he goes so he can continue to travel."**_

 _ **King Nintendo**_

That is a something I am actually asking myself personally. Leave a review and tell me if you think Ash walking again would be cliche because that was my main concern with the subject. Don't worry though, if I am to do this I have an idea of a good plot for it. I just want to stay queit and see what you think before I start progressing in that direction.

Thats all for now! Thanks for reading!


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